Musical top.



No. 748,087. I PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. P. V. MIGHELS & 0. Z. ELLIS.

MUSICAL TOP.

APPLICATION IILBD rm. 7. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

lV/TNESSES: Q flz UNITED STATES Patented Decei'ldbei' 29, 190s,

PATENT OFFICE.

e PHILIP V. MIGHELS, OF OAKLAND, AND CHARLES Z. ELLIS, OF BERKELEY,

CALIFORNIA.

MUSICAL TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,087, dated December29, 1903.

Application filed February '7, 1903. S i l N 142,270. (No model.)

To all whom it HQ/(I/Z/ concern:

Be it known that we, PHILIP V. MIGHELS, residing at Piedmont, Oakland,and CHARLES Z. ELLIS, residing at Berkeley, county of Alameda, State ofCalifornia, citizens of the United States, have invented an Improvementin Musical Toys; and we hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in mechanical and musical toys,and particularly to that class in which musical tones are produced by aspinning-top.

It consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts,as hereinafter more fully described, having reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section throughour invention. Fig. 2. is a plan view of the cylinder reduced.

A represents the casing of the top, which may be of any suitable size ordesign. This casing is turnable freely about a vertical stationary axis2 and incloses the music-playing mechanism. It is madein two separablesections provided with suitable interlocking means 3, whereby access maybe had to such mechanism, as for the purpose of inspection orsubstitution. The upper or cover portion 0 of the casing has an interiorweb 4, which, with the end of the cover, forms a bearing for the top inits rotation about the shaft or stem 2. Concentric with and turnableabout stem 2 is a gear 5, rigid with the web 4 and loose upon the shaft2 and adapted to mesh a larger gear 6, whose shaft 7 is journaled in theend of a stationary horizontal arm 8, fixed rigid with stem 2. The lowerend'of shaft 7 carries a small gear 9, which engages the 0music-cylinder-operating gear 10. The latter is turnable loosely on stem2 and is held in place thereon between arm 8 and the comb or reedsupport 11,which isremovably secured on stem 2. The arms 8 and the comb11 are fixed to the shaft 2, these three parts being the stationaryelements of the device. The cylinder or drum 12 is detachably secured bysuitable means, as the buttons 13, to the under side of gear 10 andincloses the reeds.

The distinction is to be noted between the relative arrangement of thecylinder and reeds in the present device and in music-boxes of ordinaryconstruction. The reeds herein are adapted to engage projections or pins14 upon the inner periphery of the cylinder to produce a succession ofharmonious tones in the manner well known in the art. Cylinder 12 isopen at one end, and the head 15 is transversely slotted, as at 16, toaccommodate the reeds in the putting on or off of a cylinder. Theopenings 17 are for the reception of the buttons 13 on gear 10. The pins14: on the cylinder may be stamped from the metal of the cylinder itselfor may be attached by any suitable mechanical means. The lower end ofstem 2 is removably stepped in a block or base 18 and is provided with akey 19 or equivalent means to prevent theshaft turning when the top isspun. The upper end of the stem may carry a knob or handle 20, by whichthe device may be steadied during the operation of setting the top inmotion and by which it may be lifted from the base. The bottom portionof the casingis provided with an interior annular weighted projection21, which affords a seat for the cover portion and serves to givesteadiness and momentum to the spinning-top.

In operation the top is made to spin by any suitable means not necessaryhere to mention. Motion is transmitted by the rapidlyrevolving gear 5through the chain of reducing-gears 6, 9, and 10 to the cylinder 12,which turns with gear 10 and engages the stationary comb to produce themusical effect desired.

Unlike most musical boxes an endless variety of tunes may be played bythe same op erating means, since it is possible to remove a cylinder andreplace it with one for a dif- 9o ferent tune.

To change a cylinder, the top is lifted out of the block, the lockingmeans 3 released, and the bottom portion of the top removed, leaving thecover portion, the stem 2, and the playing mechanism still intact. Thebuttons 13 are turned to release the cylinder,allowing another to besubstituted.

The device is neat, simple, entertaining, and in external appearancedoes not differ from ordinary tops.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A musical toy comprising a sectional shell or casing; astationarystem about which the casing rotates; a comb rigid with the stem; a drumloose on the stem having the bottom open and having projections on itsinner periphery adapted to engage the teeth of the comb; a gear-wheelloose on the stem; devices for'detachably securing the upper end of thedrum to said gear; and gearing between the last-named gear and the shellor casing.

2. A musical toy comprising a sectional shell or casing; a gear fixed tosaid casing; a stationary axis; an arm fixed to the shaft and extendingradially therefrom; a shaft journaled in the outer end of said arm; saidarm having a gear at one end to mesh with the first-named gear andhaving a second gear; a hollow cylinder loose on the stationary axis,having one end open and having projections on its inner side; a geardetachably connected to the upper end of said drum and meshing with saidsecond gear; and a comb fixed to the stationary axis and having itsteeth engaged by the projections on the drum.

3. In a musical toy the combination of a casing or shell, a stationaryaxis about which it rotates, a comb, a drum or cylinder said drum havingthe lower end open and the upper end formed with a slotted head, agearwheel having tnrnable buttons said buttons passing through openingsin the head of the drum and detachably locking the drum to the gear; andtransmitting-gearing between the casing and said drum-gear.

4. The combination in a musical toy, of a separable sectional shell orcasing, a stationary stem about which said casing is rotatable, i

a gear rigid with the casing, an arm rigid with the stem, a comblikewise rigid with the stem, a gear-wheel rotatable loosely about thestem, gears carried by the arm interposed between said gear-wheel andsaid rigid gear, a hollow removable music-cylinder carried by androtatable with said gear-Wheel and having projections upon its peripheryengaging the teeth of said comb, and detachable fastenings between thecylinder and the said gear-wheel whereby the cylinder may be readilyremoved.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

PHILIP V. MIGHELS. CHARLES Z. ELLIS.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JESSIE 0. BRODIE.

